What does Ohio EPA consider "open burning"?
You are open burning any time you light an outdoor fire. In the past, many materials--including leaves, tree trimmings, tires, and construction debris--were routinely burned outdoors.
Why do Ohio's laws prohibit open burning?
Depending upon the material being burned, open fires can release many kinds of toxic fumes. Leaves and plant materials send aloft millions of spores when they catch fire, causing many people with allergies to have difficulty breathing. The pollutants released by open burning also make it more difficult to attain, or maintain, health-based air quality standards, especially in or near the major metropolitan centers. The gases released by open burning can also harm neighboring buildings by corroding metal siding and damaging paint. Besides, open burning is not a very efficient way to get rid of wastes since open fires do not get hot enough to burn the materials completely.
What material can never be burned?
- Garbage
- Garbage is defined as: any wastes created in the process of handling, preparing, cooking, or consumption of food.
- Rubber or materials containing rubber
- Grease
- Asphalt
- Materials made from petroleum
- Tires
- Cars and auto parts
- Plastics or plastic-coated wire
- Dead Animals
Where is burning Illegal?
- With a few exceptions, open burning is not permitted in a restricted area.
- Restricted Area is defined as and include: Any area within the boundaries of a municipal corporation, within corporation limits and a 1,000-foot zone outside any municipal corporation having a population of 1,000 to 10,000 and; within corporation limits and a one-mile zone outside any municipal corporation with a population of more than 10,000.
What types of open burning are permitted anywhere?
No open burning can take place within 1,000 feet of an inhabited building located off the property where the fire is set. Nor can the fire obscure visibility for roadways, railroad tracks, or air fields. No wastes generated off the premises may be burned. For example, a tree-trimming contractor may not haul branches and limbs to another site to burn them. Open burning is prohibited when air pollution warnings, alerts, or emergencies are in effect. A few types of open burning are permitted everywhere, even in restricted areas. Fires must be kept to a minimum size for their intended purpose, and shall not be used for waste disposal purposes. Those fires include:
- Within a Restricted Area:
- cooking for human consumption
- Barbecues, campfires, cookouts
- Heating Tar
- Welding and Acetylene Torches
- Smudge Pots and Similar Occupational Needs
- Heating for warmth of outdoor workers and strikers
- Use common sense: use only clean wood and restrict the size of the fire to a 55-gallon drum.
By notifying Ohio EPA in advance, ceremonial fires can be set for limited periods of time. Fires must be limited in size to 5 feet by 5 feet and may not burn for more than three hours.
- Outside of a Restricted Area:
- Agricultural wastes: material generated by crop, horticultural, or livestock production practices. This includes fence posts and scrap lumber but not buildings.
- Landscape wastes: plant matter such as tree trimmings, branches, stumps, brush, weeds, leaves, grass, shrubbery, yard trimmings, and crop residues.
- Land-clearing wastes: plant matter which is removed when land is cleared for residential, commercial, or industrial development. This material may be burned only under certain circumstances and WITH PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM OHIO EPA.
- Residential waste: wastes such as wood or paper products that are generated by one-, two-, or three- family residences. Garbage may not be open burned.
What happens if I'm caught open burning?
Our fire department and The Ohio EPA have the legal authority to enforce the open burning laws. Violations can result in substantial penalties. If you have any questions, or would like to report a suspected open burning incident, contact the fire department, your Ohio EPA district office, or your local air pollution control agency.
Division of Air Pollution Control
Ohio EPA
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049
614-644-2270
Akron Regional Air Quality
(330) 375-2480